Weekly Reads

The Niche’s recommended Weekly Reads on stem cell research and regenerative medicine.

Weekly reads: Parkinson’s & the gut, sports, cat stem cells

stem cells for Parkinson's, Parkinson's

I’ve met people who are excited about using stem cells for Parkinson’s Disease. Some of these folks have Parkinson’s or are loved ones. Talking to them makes things real. It feel personal and not just scientific. The current treatment options are far away from what is needed for many people. I am optimistic that a […]

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Weekly reads: Vertex stem cells for diabetes, storing iPS cells on the Moon, science hype award nominees

Felicia Pagliuca, stem cells for diabetes

How is research looking on stem cells for diabetes? I’m feeling more encouraged about the clinical research in that area. Before we jump into that let’s talk about two other things.  The big news of the week was the felony plea deal by Liveyon’s John Kosolcharoen to charges related to marketing an unapproved cell therapy

Weekly reads: Vertex stem cells for diabetes, storing iPS cells on the Moon, science hype award nominees Read More »

Recommended reads: regeneration by fasting & cancer, Time’s kid of the year, Hayflick death

Lizard growing new tail, regeneration

If only humans could master regeneration. It seems like that would open the door to far better health. Maybe to longer life too. We can see how many other creatures innately can regenerate organs. I can see it in the lizards that run around in my garden. Every now and then I see one with

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Weekly stem cell reads: AI-human hybrids, eye drops, Cell Surgical Network case delay

Seven_of_nine, Borg, stem cell

Before we jump into our weekly stem cell and regenerative medicine reads, check out my new video on our stem cell YouTube channel below on robots with human brain tissue. In that video, I discuss the integration of computers and other technologies into the human body. When involving the brain, these technologies are often called

Weekly stem cell reads: AI-human hybrids, eye drops, Cell Surgical Network case delay Read More »

Weekly reads: stem cell shampoo, Neobiosis FDA warning, trogocytosis

stem cell shampoo

Even for a stem cell research wonk like me the broader regenerative arena never ceases to surprise me with the latest thing being stem cell shampoo. Stem cell shampoo A news item that seems promotional discussed the stem cell shampoo as yielding positive results. So after you are done with your vampire facelift, stem cell

Weekly reads: stem cell shampoo, Neobiosis FDA warning, trogocytosis Read More »

Recommended reads: Stem cells in Japan, iPS cells for COVID & hearts, He Jiankui

fruit fly intestine, stem cells in Japan

How are things going with regenerative medicine and stem cells in Japan? It’s still an exciting time there, but I’ve noted a sense that it is a time of transition too in some ways. For example, government funding is perhaps less certain than in the past. Let’s start with a few articles on how the

Recommended reads: Stem cells in Japan, iPS cells for COVID & hearts, He Jiankui Read More »

Recommended reads: click editing, CRISPR v. progeria, diapause transcriptional program

click editing

Gene editing continues to advance both in the clinic trial arena and at more basic science levels including a report on a new approach called click editing. The two gene editing papers below highlight the variety of tools now available. Gene Editing papers including click editing Click editing enables programmable genome writing using DNA polymerases

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Recommended reads: private cord blood bank disappointments, Mammoth genomes, Huntington’s CRISPR, Parkinson’s cell therapy

umbilical-cord-blood, umbilical cord blood stem cells

The private cord blood bank industry has promised families all kinds of great things over the years. A typical ad for such cord blood banks might say, “Your child may need cord blood in the future for a cure.” The industry also often uses the analogy of frozen cord blood as an insurance policy for

Recommended reads: private cord blood bank disappointments, Mammoth genomes, Huntington’s CRISPR, Parkinson’s cell therapy Read More »

Recommended reads: MSC analysis points to challenges, IPSC NKs kill liver cancer, turning white fat into brown

MSC single cell transcriptome, MSC

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells or MSCs are widely used by unproven clinics, but MSC research also suggests real promise in specific areas. Clinics mainly use adipose MSCs (often called SVF) or bone marrow MSCs. However, umbilical cord MSC preparations are getting more popular too. Many questions swirl around the use of MSCs including what exactly are

Recommended reads: MSC analysis points to challenges, IPSC NKs kill liver cancer, turning white fat into brown Read More »

Recommended reads: flesh-faced robots, ALS, Spina Bifida,neuronal CRISPR

flesh-faced robots

Combinations of human flesh and robots are more in the news lately. Sometimes the fleshy parts are grown from stem cells in a lab. Robots with fleshy faces Scientists in Japan Give Robots a Fleshy Face and a Smile, NYT. I’m working on a piece about robots in China with small, human brain-like structures. Stay tuned

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